Methods and apparatus for mobility support between network domains

ABSTRACT

Described aspects provide for improving the mobility of wireless communication devices between one network domain and another network domain, specifically, but not limited to, between a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and a cellular network and the like. Present aspects provide for services to be moved seamlessly and in a reliable manner between the cellular and WLAN domains in order to minimize service disruption for the end user and provide the requisite Quality of Service (QoS) for the different applications. The aspects herein presented provide for various mechanisms that serve to improve the decision points related to when and what technology each service is expected to be associated with and provides better techniques to move the wireless communication device between cellular and WLAN domains when in-traffic and when idle.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119

The present application for patent claims priority to ProvisionalApplication No. 60/978,749 entitled “WLAN and 2G/3G Mobility Support”filed Oct. 9, 2007, and assigned to the assignee hereof and herebyexpressly incorporated by reference herein.

REFERENCE TO CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS FOR PATENT

The present application for patent is related to the followingco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. “______” filed in the nameof inventor Bharadwaj et al. having Attorney Docket No. 072211U2, filedconcurrently herewith, assigned to the assignee hereof, and expresslyincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The disclosed aspects relate to communications networks, and moreparticularly, to systems, methods and apparatus for providing mobilitysupport between different network domains.

2. Background

Wireless access terminals can include multiple communication protocols.Recently, access terminals have become multifunctional devices,frequently providing email, Internet access, as well as traditionalcellular communications. Access terminals can be equipped with wide areawireless connectivity utilizing different technologies, such as thirdgeneration wireless or cellular systems (3G), Institute for Electricaland Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 (WiMax), and other to-be-definedWireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) technologies. Meanwhile, IEEE 802.11based Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) connectivity is being installedin access terminals as well. On the horizon, ultra-wideband (UWB) and/orBluetooth-based Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) local connectivitymay also be available in access terminals.

Other examples of multiple communication protocols in an access terminalinclude a portable computer that may include a WPAN to connect theportable computer to a wireless mouse, a wireless keyboard, and thelike. In addition, the laptop computer may include an IEEE 802.11b or802.11g device to allow the portable computer to communicate with aWLAN. WLAN has become popular and, for example, is being set up in homesfor both personal and business purposes. In addition, coffee shops,Internet cafes, libraries and public and private organizations utilizeWLANs.

The number of networks and protocols continues to increase rapidly dueto demands for functionality associated with unique user demands anddivergent protocols. Such disparate networks and protocols are laboriousfor a user to switch between and in many cases, the user is trapped in anetwork without regard to what might be the optimal network for theuser, and the user's associated network service and/or application, at agiven time. In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide forseamless transition between networks and/or protocols in order tominimize service disruption for the user. Additionally, a need exists tooptimize the use of the different network domains such that the networkservice or application being used is provided the requisite Quality ofService (QoS).

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects inorder to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary isnot an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intendedto neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nordelineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is topresent some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

Present aspects define methods, systems, devices, apparatus and computerprogram products for improving the mobility of wireless communicationdevices between one network domain and another network domain,specifically, but not limited to, between a Wireless Local Area Network(WLAN), such as a WiFi network, a Bluetooth® network or the like, and acellular network (i.e., circuit-switch and packet-switched domains),such as 1X, LTE, 2G, 3G cellular networks and the like. Present aspectsprovide for services to be moved seamlessly and in a reliable mannerbetween the cellular and WLAN domains in order to minimize servicedisruption for the end user and provide the requisite Quality of Service(QoS) for the different applications. The aspects herein presentedprovide for various mechanisms that serve to improve the decision pointsrelated to when and what technology each service is expected to beassociated with and provides better techniques to move the wirelesscommunication device between cellular and WLAN domains when in-trafficand when idle.

A method for providing domain handoff in a communication network definesone aspect. The method includes determining that a target domain statecurrently resides above a target domain drop threshold and below atarget domain add threshold and determining that a serving domain stateis currently approaching a serving domain drop threshold. The methodfurther includes providing for a handoff to the target domain based onthe target domain state currently residing above the target domain dropthreshold and below the target domain add threshold and the servingdomain state currently approaching the serving domain drop threshold. Inone aspect of the method the handoff may be provided if the servingnetwork is currently providing a continuous use service, such as a voicecall, Short Message Service (SMS), Push-to-Talk or the like. In certainaspects the target domain is further defined as a Wireless Local AreaNetwork (WLAN) and the serving domain is a cellular network, while inother aspects the target domain may be the cellular network and theserving domain may be the WLAN.

In one aspect of the method determining that a serving domain state iscurrently approaching a serving domain drop threshold further comprisesmonitoring one or more serving domain parameters, such as Media AccessControl (MAC) layer and/or application layer parameters. These servingdomain parameters may include, but are not limited to, at least one ofReceived Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), uplink data packet errorrate, downlink data packet error rate or uplink transmission retries.

Another aspect is provided for by at least one processor configured toprovide domain handoff in a communication network. The processorincludes a first module for determining that a target domain statecurrently resides above a target domain drop threshold and below atarget domain add threshold and a second module for determining that aserving domain state is currently approaching a serving domain dropthreshold. The processor additionally includes a third module forproviding for a handoff to the target domain based on the target domainstate currently residing above the target domain drop threshold andbelow the target domain add threshold and the serving domain statecurrently approaching the serving domain drop threshold.

A computer program product including a computer-readable medium definesa further related aspect. The medium includes a first set of codes forcausing a computer to determine that a target domain state currentlyresides above a target domain drop threshold and below a target domainadd threshold and a second set of codes for causing the computer todetermine that a serving domain state is currently approaching a servingdomain drop threshold. The medium also includes a third set of codes forcausing the computer to provide for a handoff to the target domain basedon the target domain state currently residing above the target domaindrop threshold and below the target domain add threshold and the servingdomain state currently approaching the serving domain drop threshold.

Yet another related aspect is defined by an apparatus. The apparatusincludes means for determining that a target domain state currentlyresides above a target domain drop threshold and below a target domainadd threshold and means for determining that a serving domain state iscurrently approaching a serving domain drop threshold. The apparatusfurther includes means for providing for a handoff to the target domainbased on the target domain state currently residing above the targetdomain drop threshold and below the target domain add threshold and theserving domain state currently approaching the serving domain dropthreshold.

A wireless communication device defines yet another aspect. Thecommunication device includes a computer platform having a processor anda memory in communication with the processor. The device also includes atarget domain monitoring module stored in the memory and incommunication with the processor. The target domain monitoring module isoperable to determine that a target domain state currently resides abovea target domain drop threshold and below a target domain add threshold.The device also includes a serving domain monitoring module stored inthe memory and in communication with the processor. The serving domainmonitoring module is operable to determine that a serving domain stateis currently approaching a serving domain drop threshold. The devicefurther includes a target domain module stored in the memory and incommunication with the processor. The target domain module is operableto be activated based on the target domain state currently residingabove the target domain drop threshold and below the target domain addthreshold, and the serving domain state currently approaching theserving domain drop threshold. In one specific aspect, the target domainmodule is further operable to be activated if the serving network iscurrently providing a continuous use service, such as a voice call, SMS,Push-to-Talk or the like.

In one aspect of the communication device, the target domain monitoringmodule is further defined as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)monitoring module, the serving domain monitoring module is furtherdefined as a cellular network monitoring module and the target domainmodule is further defined as a WLAN domain module. While in otheraspects, the target domain monitoring module is further defined as acellular network monitoring module, the serving domain monitoring moduleis further defined as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) monitoringmodule and the target domain module is further defined as a cellularnetwork domain module.

In one aspect of the communication device the serving domain monitoringmodule is operable to monitor one or more serving domain parameters,such as Media Access Control (MAC) layer and/or application layerparameters. The monitored parameters may include, but are not limitedto, at least one of Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), uplinkdata packet error rate, downlink data packet error rate or uplinktransmission retries.

A method for activating a target network domain and services in thetarget network domain defines another aspect. The method includesdetermining that a target network domain add threshold has been met andactivating the target network domain based on the network domain addthreshold being met. The method further includes determining that one ormore target network services add thresholds have been met, each targetnetwork service add threshold being associated with a network serviceprovided on the target network domain and allowing activation of one ormore target network services on the target network domain based on theone or more target network service add thresholds associated with theone or more target network services having been met. In one aspect,activation of the target network domain is independent of allowingactivation of the one or more target network services on the targetnetwork domain. The target network domain may be a WLAN domain, or inalternate aspects, a cellular network domain.

In one alternate aspect of the method, determining that one or moretarget network services add thresholds have been met may further includedynamically changing one or more of the target network services addthresholds based on current network conditions.

In another alternate aspect of the method, determining that a targetnetwork domain add threshold has been met further defines the targetnetwork domain add threshold as corresponding to a lowest threshold fora network service available on the target network domain. In otheraspects, determining that a target network domain add threshold has beenmet and activating the target network domain based on the determinationmay occur prior to determining that any network domain servicethresholds have been met and allowing activation of the associatedservices.

The method may also include monitoring one or more parameters associatedwith one or more target network services to determine if the one or moretarget network service add thresholds have been met. In one aspect themonitored parameters may include, but are not limited to, at least oneof Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), uplink data packet errorrate, downlink data packet error rate or uplink transmission retries fora channel operative to provide an associated target network service.

In alternate aspects of the method, activating the target network domainfurther comprises maintaining activation of a serving network domainwhile the target network domain is active. In such aspects, the methodmay include determining that one or more serving network services addthresholds have been met, each serving network service add threshold isassociated with a network service provided on the serving network domainand allowing activation of one or more network services on the servingnetwork domain based on the one or more serving network service addthresholds associated with the one or more serving network serviceshaving been met. For example, the target network domain may be activatedand meet the threshold for providing Best Effort (BE) data traffic butdoes meet the threshold for providing Voice Over IP (VoIP) service

At one processor configured to activate a target network domain andservices in the target network domain defines a related aspect. Theprocessor includes a first module for determining that a target networkdomain add threshold has been met and a second module activating thetarget network domain based on the network domain add threshold beingmet. The processor additionally includes a third module for determiningthat one or more target network services add thresholds have been met,each target network service add threshold is associated with a networkservice provided on the target network domain, and a fourth module forallowing activation of one or more target network services on the targetnetwork domain based on the one or more target network service addthresholds associated with the one or more target network serviceshaving been met.

A computer program product including a computer-readable medium providesfor another related aspect. The medium includes a first set of codes forcausing a computer to determine that a target network domain addthreshold has been met and a second set of codes for causing thecomputer to activate the target network domain based on the networkdomain add threshold being met. The medium additionally includes a thirdset of codes for causing the computer to determine that one or moretarget network services add thresholds have been met, each targetnetwork service add threshold is associated with a network serviceprovided on the target network domain, and a fourth set of codes forcausing the computer to allow activation of one or more target networkservices on the target network domain based on the one or more targetnetwork service add thresholds associated with the one or more targetnetwork services having been met.

An apparatus defines another related aspect. The apparatus includesmeans for determining that a target network domain add threshold hasbeen met and means for activating the target network domain based on thenetwork domain add threshold being met. The apparatus also includesmeans for determining that one or more target network services addthresholds have been met, each target network service add threshold isassociated with a network service provided on the target network domain,and means for allowing activation of one or more target network serviceson the target network domain based on the one or more target networkservice add thresholds associated with the one or more target networkservices having been met.

A wireless communication device defines another aspect. The deviceincludes a computer platform including a processor and a memory incommunication with the processor. The device also includes a targetdomain module stored in the memory and in communication with theprocessor. The target domain module is operable to activate acorresponding target domain network based on a determination that atarget network domain add threshold has been met. The device alsoincludes one or more target domain network service modules stored in thememory and in communication with the processor. Each target domainnetwork service module corresponds to a target network service and isoperable to determine that a network service add threshold associatedwith the corresponding target network service has been met and allowactivation of the target network service on the target network domainbased on the network service add threshold being met. In one aspect ofthe device, the target domain module is further operable to activate ofthe target network domain independent of the on or more target domainnetwork service modules being operable to allow activation of thecorresponding target network service on the target network domain.

In one alternate aspect of the device the at least one of the one ormore target domain network service modules is further operable todynamically change one or more of the target network services addthresholds based on current network conditions.

In other alternate aspects of the communication device, the targetdomain module further defines the target network domain add threshold ascorresponding to a lowest threshold for a network service available onthe target network domain.

In additional alternate aspects of the communication device, the one ormore target domain network service modules are further operable tomonitor one or more parameters associated with the corresponding targetnetwork service to determine if the corresponding target network serviceadd threshold has been met. The monitored parameters may include, butare not limited to, at least one of Received Signal Strength Indication(RSSI), uplink data packet error rate, downlink data packet error rateor uplink transmission retries for a channel operative to provide anassociated target network service.

A further aspect is provided by a method for network domain activationduring communication device power-up. The method comprises powering-up acommunication device that is communicable with a first and secondnetwork domain. The method further includes attempting to acquire thefirst network domain upon powering-up the communication device andattempting to acquire the second network domain simultaneous with theattempt to acquire the first network domain. The method additionallyincludes attempting to register on whichever of the first and secondnetwork domains is acquired first-in-time. Optionally, the method mayinclude providing network services in the network domain that isattempted to be registered if the registration is successful.

In one aspect, the first network domain is defined as a Wireless LocalArea Network (WLAN) domain. In such aspect, attempting to acquire theWLAN domain may further include performing one or more consistencychecks, such as measuring RSSI, to insure consistency of the WLANdomain. In other aspects, the second network domain may be defined as acellular network domain. In such aspects, attempting to acquire thecellular network domain may further include measuring a pilot Ec/Iosignal and determining that a pilot Ec/Io signal add threshold has beenmet.

In other optional aspects the method may include initiating handoffbetween the first and second network domains after the successfulregistration of whichever of the first and second network domains isacquired first based on whichever of the first and second networkdomains that is acquired first being the non-preferred network domain.

Yet another related aspect is defined by at least one processorconfigured to provide network domain activation during communicationdevice power-up. The processor includes a first module for powering-up acommunication device that is communicable with a first and secondnetwork domain. The processor also includes a second module forattempting to acquire the first network domain upon powering-up thecommunication device and a third module for attempting to acquire thesecond network domain simultaneous with the attempt to acquire the firstnetwork domain. The processor additionally includes a fourth module forattempting to register on whichever of the first and second networkdomains is acquired first-in-time.

A computer program product including a computer-readable medium definesanother aspect. The medium includes a first set of codes for causing acomputer to power-up a communication device that is communicable with afirst and second network domain. The medium also includes a second setof codes for causing the computer to attempt to acquire the firstnetwork domain upon powering-up the communication device and a third setof codes for causing the computer to attempt to acquire the secondnetwork domain simultaneous with the attempt to acquire the firstnetwork domain. The medium additionally includes a fourth set of codesfor causing the computer to attempt to register on whichever of thefirst and second network domains is acquired first-in-time.

An apparatus defines another related aspect. The apparatus includesmeans for powering-up a communication device that is communicable with afirst and second network domain. The apparatus also includes means forattempting to acquire the first network domain upon powering-up thecommunication device and means for attempting to acquire the secondnetwork domain simultaneous with the attempt to acquire the firstnetwork domain. The apparatus additionally includes means for attemptingto register on whichever of the first and second network domains isacquired first-in-time.

Yet another related aspect is provided for by a wireless communicationdevice that includes a computer platform having a processor and a memoryin communication with the processor. The device includes a power-upmechanism in communication with the processor and operable to receive aninput to power-up the communication device. The device also includes afirst network domain module stored in the memory and in communicationwith the processor, wherein the first network domain module is operableto attempt to acquire the first network domain upon receiving an inputto the power-up mechanism. The device also includes a second networkdomain module stored in the memory and in communication with theprocessor. The second network domain module is operable to attempt toacquire the second network domain simultaneous with the attempt toacquire the first network domain. Additionally, the first and secondnetwork domain modules are further operable to attempt to register onthe corresponding network domain if the attempt corresponding networkdomain is acquired first-in-time.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or moreaspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims. The following description andthe annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative featuresof the one or more aspects. These features are indicative, however, ofbut a few of the various ways in which the principles of various aspectsmay be employed, and this description is intended to include all suchaspects and their equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed aspects will hereinafter be described in conjunction withthe appended drawings, provided to illustrate and not to limit thedisclosed aspects, wherein like designations denote the elements, and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary cellular wireless communication systemimplemented in accordance with present aspects;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary cellular and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)communication system implemented in conjunction with present aspects;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a wireless communication device configuredto provide two levels of acquisition thresholds based on the currentperformance experienced over the domains, according to a present aspect;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a methodology for activating a target domainin a multimode wireless communication device, according to an aspect;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of another methodology for activating a targetdomain in a multimode wireless communication device, according to anaspect;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a wireless communication device configuredto provide independent target domain activation and target domainservice activation, according to an aspect;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a methodology for providing independenttarget domain activation and target domain service activation, accordingto an aspect;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of another methodology for providingindependent target domain activation and target domain serviceactivation, according to an aspect;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a wireless communication device configuredfor simultaneous domain acquisition attempts during start power-up,according to an aspect;

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a methodology for simultaneous domainacquisition attempts during power-up, according to an aspect;

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of another methodology for simultaneous domainacquisition attempts during power-up, according to an aspect;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a wireless communication device configuredfor IMS registration in a multi-domain communication environment,according to an aspect;

FIGS. 13 and 14 are a flow diagram of a methodology for IMS registrationin a multi-domain wireless environment, according to an aspect;

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of another methodology for IMS registration ina multi-domain wireless environment, according to an aspect;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of an apparatus configured for activating atarget domain in a multimode wireless communication system, according toan aspect;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of an apparatus configured for independenttarget domain activation and target domain service activation, accordingto an aspect;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an apparatus configured for simultaneousdomain acquisition attempts during power-up, according to an aspect;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram highlighting details of a wirelesscommunication device that may be used in conjunction with presentaspects; and

FIG. 20 depicts a schematic diagram of a transmitter and receiver in amultiple access wireless communication system, according to variousaspects presented herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects are now described with reference to the drawings. In thefollowing description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specificdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofone or more aspects. It may be evident; however, that such aspect(s) maybe practiced without these specific details.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “module,” “system”and the like are intended to include a computer-related entity, such asbut not limited to hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution. For example, a componentmay be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, aprocessor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program,and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application runningon a computing device and the computing device can be a component. Oneor more components can reside within a process and/or thread ofexecution and a component may be localized on one computer and/ordistributed between two or more computers. In addition, these componentscan execute from various computer readable media having various datastructures stored thereon. The components may communicate by way oflocal and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal havingone or more data packets, such as data from one component interactingwith another component in a local system, distributed system, and/oracross a network such as the Internet with other systems by way of thesignal.

Furthermore, various aspects are described herein in connection with acommunication device, which can be a wired terminal or a wirelessterminal. A communication can also be called a system, device,subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile, mobiledevice, remote station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal,terminal, user agent, user device, or user equipment (UE). A wirelesscommunication device may be a cellular telephone, a satellite phone, acordless telephone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, awireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), ahandheld device having wireless connection capability, a computingdevice, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem.

Moreover, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” ratherthan an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clearfrom the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean anyof the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs Aor B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; Xemploys B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and“an” as used in this application and the appended claims shouldgenerally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwiseor clear from the context to be directed to a singular form.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunication systems such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA and othersystems. The terms “system” and “network” are often usedinterchangeably. A CDMA system may implement a radio technology such asUniversal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includesWideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) and other variants of CDMA. Further, cdma2000covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. A TDMA system may implementa radio technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM). An OFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as EvolvedUTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFD□, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are partof Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). 3GPP Long TermEvolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA, which employsOFDMA on the downlink and SC-FDMA on the uplink. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTEand GSM are described in documents from an organization named “3rdGeneration Partnership Project” (3GPP). Additionally, cdma2000 and UMBare described in documents from an organization named “3rd GenerationPartnership Project 2” (3GPP2). Further, such wireless communicationsystems may additionally include peer-to-peer (e.g., mobile-to-mobile)ad hoc network systems often using unpaired unlicensed spectrums, 802.xxwireless LAN, BLUETOOTH and any other short- or long-range, wirelesscommunication techniques.

Various aspects or features will be presented in terms of systems thatmay include a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. Itis to be understood and appreciated that the various systems may includeadditional devices, components, modules, etc. and/or may not include allof the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection withthe figures. A combination of these approaches may also be used.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system 10, suchas a cellular communication network configured to support a number ofusers, in which various disclosed aspects may be implemented. As shownin FIG. 1, by way of example, system 10 provides for multiple cells suchas cells 12A-12C each cell being serviced by a corresponding accesspoint (AP) 14. Each cell may be further divided into one or more sectors(not shown in FIG. 1). Various wireless communication devices 16, alsointerchangeably referred to ad access terminals (ATs) are dispersedthroughout the system. Each wireless communication device 16 maycommunicate with one or more APs on a forward link (FL) and/or a reverselink (RL) at a given moment, depending upon whether the wireless deviceis active and whether it is in soft handoff, for example.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual block diagram of a multi-domain wirelesscommunications system 200 including a cellular network and a WLAN,according to present aspects. A wireless communication device 16 isshown moving through a wide area cellular network 210 by a series ofbroken lines. The cellular network 210 includes a Base StationController (BSC) 212 supporting a number of Base Transceiver Stations(BTSs) dispersed throughout the cellular coverage region. A single BTS214 is shown in FIG. 2 for simplicity of explanation. A Mobile SwitchingCenter (MSC) 216 may be used to provide a gateway to a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN) 218. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the cellularnetwork 210 may employ numerous BSCs each supporting any number of BTSsto extend the geographic reach of the cellular network 210. Whenmultiple BSCs are employed throughout the cellular network 210, the MSC216 may also be used to coordinate communications between the BSCs.

The wireless communication system 200 may also include one or morewireless LANs 220 dispersed throughout the cellular coverage region. Asingle wireless LAN 220 is shown in FIG. 2. The wireless LAN 220 may bean IEEE 802.11 network, or any other suitable network. The wireless LAN220 includes an access point 222 for the wireless communication device16 to communicate with an IP network 224. A server 226 may be used tointerface the IP network 224 to the MSC 216, which provides a gateway tothe PSTN 218.

Domain Acquisition Thresholds

Referring to FIG. 3 a block diagram of a wireless communication device100 is depicted that is configured to provide two levels of acquisitionthresholds based on the current performance experienced over thedomains, according to a present aspect. The wireless communicationdevice 100 includes a computing platform 102 having at least oneprocessor 104 and a memory 106. The wireless communication device 100 isconfigured for multimode communications and, as such, memory 106includes a serving domain module 108 and at least one target domainmodule 110. In certain aspects, the serving domain module 108 may beWireless Local Area Network (WLAN) domain module, such as a WirelessFidelity (Wi-Fi) domain module, a Bluetooth® domain module or the like.In such aspects, the target domain module 110 may be a cellular networkdomain module, such as circuit switched 2^(nd) Generation (2G) cellulardomains, packet-switched 3^(rd) Generation (3G) cellular domains, suchas 1X cellular domain module, for example a WiMax cellular domainmodule, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular domain, or the like. Inalternate aspects, the serving domain module 108 may be a cellularnetwork domain module and the target domain module 110 may be a WLANdomain module. While in other aspects, the serving domain module 108and/or target domain module may modules related to network domain sother than WLAN or cellular networks.

In such aspects, in which the serving domain module 108 is a WLAN domainmodule and the target domain module 110 is a cellular domain module, theserving/WLAN domain may be configured to be the preferred domain overwhich the device prefers to communicate based on the availability of theserving/WLAN domain. In alternate aspects, the target/cellular networkmay be configured to be the preferred domain.

Memory 106 additionally includes a target domain monitoring module 112that includes one or more target domain add thresholds 114 and one ormore target domain drop thresholds 116. In most instances each targetdomain will have an add threshold 114 and a corresponding related dropthreshold 116. The target domain add threshold 114 signifies a limit atwhich, if equaled or exceeded, the target domain may be considered foractivation or otherwise activated. As such the target domain addthreshold may be associated with one or a combination of performanceparameters such as, but not limited to, Received Signal StrengthIndicator (RSSI), packet error rate, retransmission rate of packets,Quality of Service (QoS) and the like. The target domain drop threshold116 signifies a limit at which, if equaled or exceeded, the targetdomain may be considered for de-activation or otherwise de-activated.

In accordance with present aspects, the target domain monitoring module112 is operable to determine when the wireless communication device 100is currently operating in a target domain state that is above a targetdomain drop threshold 116 and below the corresponding target domain addthreshold 114. For example, if the target domain add threshold 114 isdefined as a signal strength value of 12 dBM and the target domain dropthreshold is defined as a signal strength value of 16 dB, the targetdomain monitoring module 112 is operable to determine when the wirelesscommunication device 100 is operating in a signal strength state definedas between 12 dBM and 16 dBM. It should be noted that the thresholds maybe configured such that meeting a threshold may include values below thethreshold, above the threshold and/or equal to the threshold.

Memory 106 additionally includes a serving network monitoring module 118that includes one or more serving domain drop thresholds 120. Eachserving network drop threshold corresponding to a related networkdomain. The serving domain drop threshold 120 signifies a limit atwhich, if equaled or exceeded, the target domain may be considered forde-activation or otherwise de-activated.

In accordance with present aspects, the serving domain monitoring module118 is operable to determine when the wireless communication iscurrently operating in a serving domain state that is approaching aserving network drop threshold 120. By determining when the wirelesscommunication is currently operating in a serving domain state that isapproaching a serving network drop threshold 120, the device candetermine when a continuous use service, such as a voice call or thelike is about to be dropped or any other service supported by the domainis otherwise about to be discontinued.

In this regard, the serving domain monitoring module 118 may be operableto monitor one or more performance parameters, for example, MediumAccess Control (MAC) layer or application layer performance parametersand, based on the trends of the performance parameters, determine if thewireless device is currently approaching a serving network dropthreshold 120. The one or more serving network drop thresholds may beassociated with one or a combination of RSSI, uplink or downlink MAC orapplication layer packet error rate, uplink MAC or application layerpacket retry rate or the like. Thus, in one aspect, if the servingdomain monitoring module 118 determines that the RSSI is decreasing at apredetermined rate, the MAC and/or application layer packet error rateis increasing at a predetermined rate and/or the MAC packet retryattempts are increasing at a predetermined rate and/or some otherperformance parameter is degrading at a predetermined rate, the servingdomain monitoring module 118 may conclude that the wireless device iscurrently residing in a serving domain state that is approaching but hasto meet or exceed the serving domain drop threshold 120.

Thus, according to present aspects, the target domain module 110 may beactivated or a handoff to the target domain may occur if the targetdomain state is currently residing above a target domain drop threshold114 and below a target domain add threshold 116 and if the servingdomain state is currently approaching, but has not yet met, a servingnetwork drop threshold 120.

This level of domain acquisition is particularly suited foractivation/handoff to the target domain in instances in which thewireless communication device is currently implementing a continuous-useapplication, such as a voice call application, a Short Message Service(SMS) application, a Push-To-Talk (PTT) application or the like. In suchcontinuous-use applications, it may be beneficial for the wirelessdevice 100 to activate or otherwise move to the target domain eventhough the wireless device currently resides below the target domain addthreshold 116 (but above the target domain drop threshold 114), if thewireless device is currently residing in a serving domain state thatindicates that serving domain is approaching a serving domain dropthreshold 120 (e.g., the voice call is about to be dropped or the like).

FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of a methodology 200 for activating atarget domain in a multimode wireless communication device, according toan aspect. At Event 202, the wireless communication device is activelycommunicating with a serving domain. As previously noted, the servingdomain may be a WLAN domain, a cellular domain or any other known orfuture known network domain. In one aspect, in which the WLAN domain isthe preferred domain, the serving domain may be the WLAN domain. AtEvent 204, the performance of the serving domain is monitored.Monitoring of the serving domain may include but is not limited to RSSIvalue, uplink and/or downlink MAC layer packet error rate, uplink and/ordownlink application layer packet error rate, MAC layer packet retriesand the like.

At Decision 206, a determination is made as to whether the servingdomain state is approaching, but has not yet met or exceeded, a servingdomain drop threshold. The determination of whether a drop threshold isbeing approached may include, but is not limited to, determining whetherRSSI is decreasing at a predetermined rate, determining if uplink and/ordownlink MAC layer packet error rate is increasing at a predeterminedrate, determining if uplink and/or downlink application layer packeterror rate is increasing at a predetermined rate, determining if MAClayer packet retries are increasing at a predetermined rate, acombination of any of these performance parameter rates or the like. Ifthe monitoring determines that the serving domain state is not currentlyapproaching a drop threshold then, the process returns to Event 204 forfurther serving domain monitoring.

If monitoring determines that the serving domain state is currentlyapproaching a drop threshold, at optional Decision 208, a determinationis made as to whether the current application being implemented on theserving domain is a continuous use application. In certain aspects thetarget domain activation methodology shown in FIG. 4 is limited tocontinuous use applications. Continuous use applications include, butare not limited to, voice call applications, SMS applications, PTTapplications and the like. If the current application is determined tonot be a continuous use application the process returns to Event 204,for further monitoring of the serving domain performance. In otheraspects, the process depicted in FIG. 4 may apply to all applicationsbeing implemented on the serving domain and, therefore the need todetermine whether the application is a continuous use application isobviated. It should also be noted that in those aspects which implementa continuous use application check the occurrence of the check is notlimited to a specific point in the process flow but rather may occur atany point in time prior to activating the target domain.

At Event 210, monitoring of one or more target domains occurs inparallel with the monitoring of the serving domain (event 204). Themonitoring of the target domain may include monitoring of anyperformance parameter associated with a target domain drop thresholdand/or a target domain add threshold. Monitoring of the target domainmay include but is not limited to RSSI value, uplink and/or downlink MAClayer packet error rate, uplink and/or downlink application layer packeterror rate, MAC layer packet retries and the like. At Decision 212, adetermination is made as to whether the current target domain state isabove a target domain drop threshold. If the target domain state isdetermined to be below the target domain drop threshold, the processreturns to Event 210 for further monitoring of the target domain.

If the target domain state is determined to be above the target domaindrop threshold then, at Decision 214, a determination is made as towhether the target domain state is currently below the correspondingtarget domain add threshold. If the target domain state is determined tobe above the corresponding add threshold, at Decision 216, adetermination is made as to whether the serving domain state iscurrently above the drop threshold. If the serving domain drop thresholdhas been met or exceeded, then at Event 218 the target domain isactivated. If the serving domain drop threshold has not been met orexceeded, the process returns to Events 204 and 210 for furthermonitoring of the serving domain and the target domain

If, at Decision 218, the target domain state is determined to be belowthe corresponding add threshold, at Decision 220 a determination is madeas to whether the serving domain state is approaching the drop thresholdand the target domain state is concurrently between the target domaindrop threshold and the target domain add threshold. If the necessaryserving domain state and target domain state are concurrent then, atEvent 218 the target domain is activated. If the necessary target domainstate and the serving domain state are not current, the process returnsto Events 204 and 210 for further monitoring of the serving domain andthe target domain.

Referring to FIG. 5 another flow diagram is depicted that illustratesanother methodology 300 for activating a target domain in a multimodewireless communication device, according to an aspect. At Event 302, adetermination is made that a target domain state currently resides abovea target drop threshold and below a corresponding target domain addthreshold. It should be noted that above or below a threshold mayinclude meeting the threshold, proximate to the threshold in the eventthe threshold does not account for a hysteresis level or within apredefined range between the target domain drop threshold and the targetdomain add threshold. The target domain add and drop thresholds may bebased on one or a combination of performance parameters, such as, butnot limited to, RSSI value, uplink and/or downlink MAC layer packeterror rate, uplink and/or downlink application layer packet error rate,MAC layer packet retries and the like.

At Event 304, a determination is made that a serving domain state iscurrently approaching a serving domain drop threshold. The determinationof whether the serving domain state is currently approaching a dropthreshold may be made based on the degrading rate of one or acombination of performance parameters. The performance parameter ratesused to determine that the domain state is approaching a drop thresholdmay include, but are not limited to, RSSI decreasing at a predeterminedrate, uplink and/or downlink MAC layer packet error rate increasing at apredetermined rate, uplink and/or downlink application layer packeterror rate increasing at a predetermined rate, MAC layer packet retriesincreasing at a predetermined rate, any combination of performanceparameter rates or the like.

At optional Event 306, a determination may be made that an applicationcurrently being executed on the serving domain is a continuous useapplication. An application deemed to be continuous use, such ascellular service, SMS, push-to-talk or the like, requires uninterruptedservice and therefore is especially suited for a handover/activation ofa target domain prior to the serving domain reaching the drop thresholdand prior to the target domain reaching the add threshold. In certainaspects, the methodology herein described may only be administered if acontinuous use application is currently being executed on the wirelessdevice. In other aspects, the methodology herein described may apply inall instances, regardless of continuous use application deployment.

At Event 308, handoff/activation is provided to the target domain basedone the target domain currently residing above the drop threshold andbelow the add threshold and the serving domain state concurrentlyapproaching the drop threshold. In addition, in some aspects thehandoff/activation may also be conditioned based on currently executingserving domain application being a continuous use application.

Referring to FIG. 16 a block diagram is presented of an apparatus foractivating a target domain in a multimode wireless communication system,according to an aspect. The apparatus 1220 includes a logical grouping1222 of means for carrying out the processes described herein which arein communication with memory 1230. Included within the logical groupingare means 1224 for determining that a target domain state currentlyresides above a target drop threshold and below a target domain addthreshold. The logical grouping 1222 also includes means 1226 fordetermining that a serving domain state is currently approaching aserving domain drop threshold (but has yet to reach or fall below thedrop threshold). In such aspects, the means may rely on a predeterminedrate related to one or more serving domain parameters to determine ifthe serving domain is approaching the serving domain drop threshold. Thelogical grouping 1222 also includes means 1228 for providing handofffrom the serving domain to the target domain based on the current targetdomain state and the current serving domain state.

Independent Domain Acquisition Thresholds and Domain Service AcquisitionThresholds

In certain aspects acquisition of target domain may not coincide withactivation of all of the services available to the user on the targetdomain. In such instances, one or more, and possibly all of theavailable services may have individual add thresholds that must be metor otherwise exceeded for the service to be available to the user. Thus,according to one aspect, the target domain add threshold may correspondto the add threshold of the service available of the target domain thathas the lowest add threshold. For example, in one instance in which thetarget domain is a WLAN domain, a certain domain add threshold maycorrespond to data service add threshold, such that activation of theWLAN domain initially provides for offloading data via the data service.However, the WLAN domain may not register for a voice service or thelike until network performance has improved as determined by the serviceadd threshold having been met or exceeded. Thus, according to describedaspects, the activation of the target domain may be independent ofservice operation on the target domain. In addition to individual addthresholds for the services available on the domain, individual dropthresholds may also be configured on a per service basis. The individualadd thresholds and drop thresholds for services provided on the domaindepend on the application type and the level of service required by theapplication.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram representation of a wireless communicationdevice configured to provide independent target domain activation andtarget domain service activation/deactivation; according to an aspect.The wireless communication device 400 includes a computing platform 402having at least one processor 404 and a memory 406. The memory 406 ofwireless communication device 400 includes a target domain module 408,which may be a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) domain module, such asa Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) domain module, a Bluetooth® domain module orthe like. In other aspects, the target domain module 408 may be acellular network domain module, such as circuit switched 2^(nd)Generation (2G) cellular domains, packet-switched 3rd Generation (3G)cellular domains, such as 1X cellular domain module, for example a WiMaxcellular domain module, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular domain, orthe like. In alternate aspects, the target domain module 408 may be adomain module other than the WLAN or cellular network module.

The target domain module 408 may include one or more target domainservices 410 that may be implemented on the target domain. Examples ofservice applications include, but are not limited to, voice service,data service, video service and the like.

The memory 406 of wireless communication device 400 also includes atarget domain monitoring module 412 that is operable to monitor one ormore performance parameters related to the domain. The performanceparameters may include, but are not limited to, RSSI value, uplinkand/or downlink MAC layer packet error rate, uplink and/or downlinkapplication layer packet error rate, MAC layer packet retries and thelike. The target domain monitoring module includes a target domain addthreshold 414, one or more target domain service add thresholds 416 and,optionally, one or more corresponding target domain service dropthresholds 417. Each target domain service add threshold 416 andoptional target domain service drop threshold is associated with acorresponding service provided on the target domain. The target domainadd threshold 410 is operable to activate the target domain on thewireless device when the threshold has been met or exceeded. The targetdomain service add thresholds 416 are operable to activate theindividual target domain services available on the wireless device whenthe associated add threshold has been met or exceeded. The target domainservice drop thresholds 417 are operable to deactivate the individualtarget domain service on the wireless device when the associated dropthreshold has been met or falls below the drop threshold.

The service add thresholds are independent of the domain add thresholdsand as such activation or handoff to the target domain may not coincidewith activation of all of the services available on the target domain.This may be because the performance quality of the domain has not yetreached a level that will reliably sustain the service on the targetdomain or other factors.

In one specific aspect, the target domain service having the lowestservice add threshold may correspond to the target domain add threshold414. Such that when the add threshold for the service having the lowestadd threshold, e.g. the least complex service, is met or exceeded, thetarget domain threshold is activated or a handoff to the target domainoccurs. Once activated, as the performance of the target domainimproves, more complex services may be activated.

Additionally, according to certain aspects, the target domain addthresholds and the target domain service add thresholds may bedynamically changed independent of each other. Thus, a network operatoror in some aspects the user of the wireless device may adjust addthresholds based on network performance, user level of acceptablequality or any other factor. In this regard, once the target domain hasbeen activated a user may adjust the threshold for a given serviceupward or downward to meet their own acceptable level of service qualityor to insure that a service is readily available on demand.

It should also be noted that in certain aspects in which the targetdomain is activated but is subsequently unable to attain an addthreshold related to a service that a user of the device requires, thedevice may be configured to monitor the performance of other targetdomains available to the user that may support the desired service. Forexample, if the initial target domain is a WLAN domain that is activatedbased on the target domain add threshold being met but is currentlyunable to support voice service because the add threshold associatedwith the voice service application has yet to be attained, the wirelessdevice may monitor the performance of another domain, such as a cellulardomain and choose to activate the other domain to provide the requisiteservice, such as the voice service in the described example. Forexample, the target network domain may be activated and meet thethreshold for providing Best Effort (BE) data traffic but does meet thethreshold for providing Voice Over IP (VoIP) service. In such instances,the device may activate another target domain (or if concurrentlyactivated, choose to implement the other network domain) to provide theVoIP network service. The other target domain may require a threshold tobe met to use the VoIP service or the other target domain may allow theVoIP service to be used without threshold limitations.

FIG. 7 provides a flow diagram of a methodology 500 for independenttarget domain acquisition thresholds and target domain-serviceacquisition thresholds, according to an aspect. At Event 502, thewireless device monitors target domain performance prior to activationof the target domain. It should be noted that in this instance the term“target domain” does not necessarily imply that a serving domaincurrently be active. Thus, the wireless communication device may nothave an active connection with a domain prior to activation of thetarget domain. Additionally, in soma aspects, the target domain will bea WLAN domain although in other aspects the target domain may be anyother type of wireless network domain. Monitoring of the target domainperformance may include monitoring of one or more performanceparameters. Performance parameters may include, but are not limited to,RSSI, uplink or downlink MAC or application layer packet error rate,uplink MAC or application layer packet retry rate or the like.

At Decision 504, based on a desire to activate the target domain adetermination is made as to whether the target domain add threshold hasbeen met or exceeded. The target domain add threshold may be based onone or a combination of performance parameters. If the add threshold hasnot been met or exceeded, the process returns to Event 502 for furthermonitoring of the target domain. If the target domain add threshold hasbeen met or exceeded the, at Event 506, the target domain is activatedor a handoff to the target domain occurs.

In certain aspects, the target domain add threshold may be equivalent tothe lowest add threshold for one or more services available on thetarget domain. Therefore, at Decision 508 a determination is made as towhether one or more services are associated with the activation.Association with the activation being defined as having an equivalentservice add threshold, such that activation of the domain also activatesone or more services having the equivalent add threshold. If it isdetermined that services are associated with the activation of thetarget network, then At Event 510, the associated service(s) areactivated on the wireless device or the user is otherwise providedauthorization to access the services.

If it is determined that services are not associated with the activationor after the associated services are activated then, at Event 512, thetarget domain is monitored post activation. At Decision 514, adetermination is made as to whether a target domain service addthreshold has been met. As previously noted, according to definedaspects, certain services available on the target domain may be morecomplex services that require a higher level of network performancequality to reliably sustain the service. In these instances, the servicemay have individual add thresholds that are higher than the addthreshold of the target domain. Therefore, the wireless device mayactivate the target domain without initially being provided access toone or more services, which have higher add thresholds than the domainadd threshold. Thus, it is contemplated that that the device mayactivate the target domain and that the level of target domainperformance necessary for a complex service may not be attained duringthe active target domain session.

If it is determined that a target domain service add threshold has notbeen met, then the method returns to Event 512 for furtherpost-activation monitoring of the target domain. If it is determinedthat a target domain service add threshold has been met then, at Event516, the service(s) associated with the add threshold is activated orthe service is authorized to be activated on the target domain. Once theservice(s) has been activated, at Event 518, target domain performanceis further monitored post-service activation. At Decision 520, adetermination is made as whether the drop threshold associated with theservices that have been activated has been met or falls below the dropthreshold. If the drop threshold for the service has not been met or hasnot fallen below the drop threshold, the process returns to Event 518for further post-service activation monitoring of the performance of thetarget domain. If the drop threshold for the service(s) has been met, atEvent 522, the service or services associated with the drop thresholdmay be deactivated on the target domain. It should be noted thatdifferent domain services may have different add thresholds and dropthresholds and, as such, while not indicated in the methodology of FIG.7, some services may be activated while other services have yet to beactivated or other services are being de-activated.

Referring to FIG. 8, a flow diagram is depicted of a methodology 600 foractivating a target domain and independently activating network serviceson the target domain. At Event 602, the target domain is activated. Inone aspect, the target domain may be activated based on a target domainadd threshold being met or exceeded, while in other aspects the targetdomain may be activated based on other criteria or user action.

At Event 604, once the target domain is activated, a determination ismade that one or more target domain service add thresholds have been metor exceeded. Each target domain service add thresholds are associatedwith one or more services available on the target domain. At Event 606,the one or more target domain services are authorized to be activatedbased on the one or more target domain service add thresholds being metor exceeded. Thus, in accordance with aspects activation of the targetdomain is independent of activation of at least one service available onthe target domain. In certain aspects, determining that a target domainservice add threshold has been met may further provide for monitoringone or more performance parameters associated with the domain service.Examples of performance parameters that may be monitored include, butare not limited to, Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), uplinkdata packet error rate, downlink data packet error rate or uplinktransmission retries for a channel operative to provide an associatedtarget network service.

In one aspect in which the target domain is activated based the targetdomain add threshold being met, the target domain add threshold maycorrespond or otherwise be equal to a lowest add domain servicethreshold for a service available on the target domain. In such aspects,the target domain may be activated when the service having the lowestadd threshold is met and the target domain and the corresponding serviceare initially activated; additional services may be subsequentlyauthorized to be activated as their corresponding target service addthresholds are met.

In one aspect, the target service add thresholds may be dynamicallychanged either automatically or manually based on network conditions,network administrator preference or user preference. In certain aspects,the user may disable the target service add threshold associated with agiven service to allow for the service to activated upon activation ofthe target domain.

In alternate aspects of the methodology 600, the wireless device maymaintain or monitor another network while the target network isactivate, such that if a target domain serve add threshold is unable tobe attained on the target domain (i.e., the service is unable to beactivated on the target domain), the wireless device may authorizeactivation of the desired service on the other network. Monitoring ofthe other network may include monitoring one or more performanceparameters. Example of performance parameters may include, but is notlimited to, Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), uplink datapacket error rate, downlink data packet error rate or uplinktransmission retries for a channel operative to provide an associatedtarget network service.

Referring to FIG. 17 a block diagram is presented of an apparatus forindependently activating target domain and services available on thetarget domain, according to an aspect. The apparatus 1240 includes alogical grouping 1242 of means for carrying out the processes describedherein which are in communication with memory 1250. The logical grouping1242 includes means 1244 for activating a target domain and means 1246for determining that one or more target domain service add thresholdshave been met after activation of the target domain. Additionally,logical grouping 1242 includes means 1248 for authorizing activation ofthe one or more target domain services based on the service addthresholds having been met. In such aspects activation of the targetdomain is independent of the activation of the target domain servicesbased on the target domain having an independent add threshold from theadd threshold(s) associated with the services available on the targetdomain. Additional means (not shown in FIG. 17) may optionally beprovided for determining that one or more activated services dropthreshold has been met and deactivating the service based on the dropthreshold having been met. In such aspects deactivation of the servicesis independent of deactivation of the target domain.

Simultaneous Domain Acquisition Attempts During Power-Up

According to another aspect, the wireless device may be configured suchthat during power-up two or more domains are attempted to be acquiredsimultaneously as opposed to in serial. By providing for simultaneousattempts at acquiring a network domain, domain acquisition may beaccelerated in those instances in which the process is performedserially and the first attempt at acquiring a network domain isunsuccessful.

FIG. 9 provides a block diagram of a wireless communication deviceconfigured for simultaneous domain acquisition attempts during startpower-up, according to an aspect. The wireless communication device 700includes a computing platform 702 having at least one processor 704 anda memory 706. The wireless device may additionally include a power-upinput mechanism 708 operable to receive a user input for powering-up thedevice. In other aspects, the device may be powered-up, otherwisereferred to as re-booted, automatically without user input as a resultof a system failure or the like.

The memory 706 of wireless communication device 700 includes a devicepower-up module 710 that in communication with processor 704 and isoperable to be initiated based on user input to the power-mechanism 708or the occurrence of another event that automatically triggerspower-up/re-boot. Memory 706 additionally includes first domain module712 and second domain module 716 that in communication with theprocessor 704 and are operable to acquire and sustain communication withfirst and second network domains. The first or second domain modules712, 716 may be a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) domain module, suchas a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) domain module, a Bluetooth® domain moduleor the like and the other corresponding domain module 712, 716 may be acellular network domain module, such as circuit switched 2^(nd)Generation (2G) cellular domains, packet-switched 3rd Generation (3G)cellular domains, such as 1X cellular domain module, for example a WiMaxcellular domain module, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular domain, orthe like. In alternate aspects, the wireless device 700 may beconfigured with more than two domain modules.

First domain module 712 includes first domain acquisition routine 714that is operable to attempt to acquire the first domain and the seconddomain module 716 includes second domain acquisition routine 718 that isoperable to attempt to acquire the second domain. In accordance withpresent aspects, first domain acquisition routine 714 and second domainacquisition routine 718 are implemented simultaneously, otherwisereferred to as in parallel, during device power-up processing.Additionally, in instances in which the wireless device 700 isconfigured with more than two domain modules, the device may beconfigured to perform two or more, and in some instances all, associateddomain acquisition routines simultaneously.

The first domain module 712 additionally may include a first domainregistration routine 720 and the second domain module 716 may include asecond domain registration module 722. According to present aspects, thefirst-in-time domain acquisition routine that successfully acquires theassociated domain may then implement the associated registration routinein an attempt to register the device with the associated domain. Forexample, if the first domain acquisition routine 714 is first-in-time inacquiring the associated first domain then, the first domain module 712may implement the first domain registration routine 720 in an attempt toregister the network. In one aspect, if the registration of thefirst-in-time acquired domain is unsuccessful the device may beconfigured to re-attempt the registration with the first-in-timeacquired domain or, if a second-in-time domain was acquired, attempt toregister the second-in-time acquired domain. Thus, according to presentaspects, while domain acquisition may be performed simultaneously,domain registration may be performed in series.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram depicting a methodology 800 for simultaneousdomain acquisition attempts during power-up, according to an aspect. AtEvent 802, a input is provided to a power-up input mechanism or an eventoccurs that automatically triggers power-up/re-boot of the wirelesscommunication At Event 804, based on the input to the power-up inputmechanism or the occurrence of the event that triggers automaticpower-up/re-boot the power-up module is initiated on the wirelesscommunication device.

At Events 806 and 808, as the power-up routine is being executed, anattempt to acquire a first domain and an attempt to acquire a seconddomain are executed simultaneously or in parallel. In aspects in whichthe first and/or second domain is a WLAN domain, acquiring the domainmay include a plurality of consistency checks. In other aspects in whichthe first and/or second domain is a cellular domain, acquiring thedomain may include measuring a pilot Ec/Io signal and determining that apilot Ec/Io signal add threshold has been met or exceeded. In manyinstances, WLAN domain acquisition may take a longer period of time thancellular domain acquisition because the WLAN domain consistency checksneed ensure that the device is operating in a stable RF environment andthat minimal variations exist in the measured WLAN Access Point (AP).

The term “simultaneous” is defined herein as any portion of theassociated domain acquisition routines occurring at the same time. Inthis regard, both the first and second acquisition routines need not beexecuting simultaneously at all points in time. It is sufficient for thepurposes of simultaneous execution that the acquisition routines areexecuting together at some point in time.

At Event 810, a determination is made as to which of the first or seconddomains are acquired first-in-time. At Event 812, based on thedetermination of which domain is acquired first-in-time, an attempt ismade to register the domain acquired first-in-time. It should be notedthat if the first-in-time acquired domain is successful registered butis not configured on the device as the preferential domain, the devicemay initiate a hand-off to the preferred domain immediately aftersuccessful registration of the first-in-time acquired domain. Forexample, if a WLAN domain is preferred over a cellular domain and if thecellular domain is the first-in-time acquired domain, once the cellulardomain is registered, the device may immediately initiate handoff to thepreferred WLAN domain.

Referring to FIG. 11, a methodology 900 is depicted for simultaneousdomain acquisition during power-up, according to an aspect. At Event903, a wireless communication device, which is communicable with atleast a first domain and a second domain, is powered-up. The power-up ofthe wireless communication device may be initiated by user input to acorresponding power-up input mechanism or the power-up may be initiatedautomatically based on occurrence of a predetermined event, such assystem crash or the like.

At Event 904, during power-up, the wireless communication deviceattempts to acquire the first domain and, at Event 906, during power-upand simultaneous with the attempt to acquire the first domain, thewireless communication device attempts to acquire the second domain. Itshould be noted that in those aspects in which the first and/or seconddomain is a WLAN domain, acquiring the first domain may includeperforming various consistency checks to insure the reliability state ofthe WLAN domain. In those aspects in which the first and/or seconddomain is a cellular network domain, acquiring the second domain mayinclude measuring Ec/Io signal and determining that a pilot Ec/Io signaladd threshold has been met or exceeded.

At Event 906, domain registration is attempted on whichever of the firstor second domains is acquired first-in-time. In some aspect, in whichthe first domain is a WLAN domain and the second domain is a cellulardomain, the cellular domain is more apt to be acquired first-in-timebecause the cellular acquisition process tends to be less complex thanthe WLAN acquisition process. Additionally, in some aspects, in whichthe WLAN domain is the preferred domain, if the cellular domain is theacquired first-in-time and successfully registered, the wirelesscommunication device may be configured to perform a handoff to the WLANdomain after the cellular domain has been registered.

Referring to FIG. 18 a block diagram is presented of an apparatus forsimultaneous domain acquisition attempts on power-up in a wirelesscommunication device, according to an aspect. The apparatus 1260includes a logical grouping 1262 of means for carrying out the processesdescribed herein which are in communication with memory 1272. Thelogical grouping 1262 includes means 1264 for powering-up acommunication device that is communicable with first and second domains.Additionally, the logical grouping 1262 includes means 1266 forattempting to acquire the first domain upon powering-up the device and ameans 1268 for attempting to acquire the second domain simultaneous withthe attempt to acquire the first domain. The logical grouping 1262 alsoincludes means 1270 for attempting to register on whichever of the firstand second domains is acquired first-in-time.

IMS Registration in a Multiple Domain Wireless Communication Device

In many packet-based domains, such as WLAN domains or the like, IMS(Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem) is used as the mechanism toprovide packet-based services. In order for IMS to be used inconjunction with a packet-based service, an IMS registration proceduremust be performed. In a prior art multi-domain environment when awireless device moves from a first domain, such as a WLAN domain to asecond domain, such as a cellular domain, the device may be configuredto exit the IMS registration, thus requiring re-registration uponre-entry into the WLAN domain or have the IMS registration remain intactwhile, additionally, the location of the wireless device is continuallyidentified. Since registration procedures are time-consuming and costly,by maintaining dual registration with an active cellular domain and adormant WLAN domain, the device is able to minimize the number ofregistrations that may occur and, in particular, the number of IMSregistrations that may occur.

In accordance with present aspects, when a wireless device moves from afirst domain, such as a WLAN domain to a second domain, such as acellular domain, the device registers in the cellular orcircuit-switched domain and all calls are routed through the MobileSwitch Center (MSC) of the cellular domain. However, when the devicemoves back to the WLAN domain, although the WLAN domain registration isstill valid, the device may perform re-registration to provide forrouting of the calls to the IMS/WLAN domain. In other instances, whenthe device moves back to the WLAN domain and the IMS registration is nolonger current, the device may be required to perform a full IMSregistration.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a wireless communication device 1000configured for IMS registration in a multi-domain communicationenvironment, according to an aspect. The wireless communication device1000 includes a computing platform 1002 having at least one processor1004 and a memory 1006. The memory 1006 of wireless communication device1000 includes at least one packet-switch domain modules 1008 that are incommunication with processor 1004. The packet-switch domain module 1008,such as a WLAN domain module or the like, is operable to be activated onthe wireless communication device and is configured to provide Internetprotocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services.

The memory 1006 of wireless communication device 1000 also includes anIMS services module 1010 that is in communication with the processor1004 and the packet-switch domain module(s) 1008. The IMS servicesmodule 1010 is operable to deliver network services via thepacket-switch domain using IMS. Additionally, the IMS services module1010 includes an IMS registration module 1012 that is operable todetermine if an activated packet-switch domain supports IMS servicesand, if supported then, implement an IP address determiner 1014 operableto determine if the Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to an IMSapplication has changed and, if the IP address has changed, implement anIMS registration routine 1016 operable to communicate a registrationrequest to a network-entity in the packet-switch domain. In one aspect,the IMS registration request that is sent to the network-entity may beservice-based IMS registration request that is operable to register oneor more IMS services independent of registering other IMS services onthe packet-switch domain.

In other aspects, the IMS services module 1010 may include an IMSdeterminer 1018 that is operable to determine if the IMS registration iscurrent if the IP address determiner 1014 determines that the IP addresshas not changed. If the IMS determiner 1018 determines that the IMSregistration is current then IMS services may be received from thepacket-switch domain. However, IMS determiner 1018 determines that theIMS registration is not be current then, an IMS re-registration module1020 including an IMS re-registration routine 1022 may be operable tocommunicate an IMS re-registration request to a network entity. The IMSre-registration request may be defined as quick refresh of thepreviously established IMS registration credentials. In this regard, IMSre-registration avoids an authentication procedure as well as othersteps in the full registration process. As such, the IMS re-registrationprocedure is much less time-consuming then the full IMS registrationprocedure that entails authentication. In one aspect, the IMSre-registration request is further defined as a services-basedre-registration request that is operable to re-register one or more IMSservices independent of re-registering other IMS services. In certainaspects, re-registration may be performed within a predetermined timeinterval and, if the time interval expires or if the re-registrationprocess fails the IMS registration routine 1016 is invoked to providefor a full registration procedure including authentication.

In certain aspects, if the IMS registration module determines that IMSservices are not supported then, if circuit-switch domains, such ascellular domains, are supported, then the wireless device activates thecircuit-switch domain module 1024. In those aspects in which the circuitswitched domain supports IMS, such 3GPP2, the circuit-switch domainmodule may be configured with a dual registration message generator thatis operable to generate a message, such as an SMS message or the likethat notifies the circuit-switch domain that services are to be providedby the circuit-switch domain although the packet-switch domainregistration remains active. In this regard, since the IMS registrationremains active it may possible for the wireless communication to IMSre-register as opposed to fully IMS register when the device returns tothe packet-switch domain.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14 a flow diagram is presented of amethodology 1100 for IMS registration in a multi-domain wirelessenvironment, according to an aspect. According to FIG. 13, at Decision1102, a determination is made as to whether IMS services are supportedover the packet-switch domain, for example, a WLAN domain. If IMSservices are supported then, at Decision 1104, a determination is madeas to whether the Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to the IMSapplication has changed. The IP address may change if the wirelessdevice crosses sub-layer boundaries or in other known or future knowninstances. If the IP address has changed then, at Event 1106, thewireless communication device sends an IMS registration to apacket-switch entity. In one aspect, the IMS registration may be aservice-based IMS registration that includes feature tags that identifythe services supported over the packet-switch domain. Service-based IMSregistration provides for each service, such as Voice over IP (VoIP),Short Message Service (SMS), video-telephony or the like, to beregistered independent of another service.

If the IP address has not changed, such as may be the case if thewireless device is moving between WLAN access points, then the wirelessdevice may attempt to re-register the device as opposed to performing afull registration process. At Decision 1108, a determination is made asto whether the IMS registration is current. If the IMS registration iscurrent and up-to-date, as determined by a timer or the like, then, atEvent 1010, the wireless device moves into the packet-switch domain. Ifthe IMS is determined to not be current or is otherwise not present inthe packet-switched domain then, at Decision 1012, a determination ismade as to whether the registration timer has expired. If theregistration timer has expired then, at Event 1014, an IMS registrationis communicated to a packet-switch entity. If the registration timer hasnot expired then, at Event 1016 an IMS re-registration request is sentto a packet-switch entity. Re-registration differs from registration inthat re-registration only requires a quick refresh of the previouslyestablished IMS registration credentials. In one aspect, there-registration request may be a service-based IMS re-registrationoperable to re-register one or more IMS services independent ofre-registering other IMS services on the packet-switch domain.

At Decision 1018, a determination is made as to whether there-registration was successful. If the re-registration process isunsuccessful, at Event 1014, a full registration request is sent to apacket-switch entity. If the re-registration process is successful then,at Event 1010, the wireless device moves to the packet switch domain.

It should be noted that while the present aspects are described hereinin conjunction with IMS registration and registration, the aspects arealso relevant to other services that may require registration on apacket-switched domain, such as a WLAN domain or the like.

Referring to FIG. 14, if the wireless device does not support IMSservices over the packet-switch domain and the device is still IMSregistered, at Decision 1120, a determination is made as to whether thedevice supports a circuit-switch domain. If the device does not supporta circuit-switch domain then, at Event 1122, the wireless device movesinto the packet-switch domain. If the device does support acircuit-switch domain then, at Decision 1124, a determination is made asto whether the circuit switch domain is a 3GPP (3^(rd) GenerationPartnership Project) circuit-switch domain. If the circuit-switcheddomain is a 3GPP circuit-switched domain then, at Event 1126, thewireless device moves to the circuit switch domain and the packet switchdomain. 3GPP does not support IMS services and therefore the corenetwork will respond by first trying WLAN service and then tryingcellular service to deliver services.

If the circuit-switch domain is not 3GPP but rather 3GPP2 (3^(rd)Generation Partnership Project 2), at Event 1128, the wireless devicesends a message, such as a SMS message or the like, to a Voice CallApplication Server (VCC-AS) that indicates the need to move all servicesto the circuit-switch domain and indicating that the IMS registration onthe packet-switch domain is still alive/intact. In this regard themessage notifies the circuit switch network that although the packetswitch network is still actively registered, services are to be providedvia the circuit-switch domain. Once the message is sent then, at Event1130, the wireless devices moves to the circuit switch domain. When thewireless domain subsequently moves back to the packet-switched domain,the device may attempt to IMS re-register as opposed to fully IMSregister per the flow depicted in FIG. 13.

Referring to FIG. 15 a flow diagram is depicted of a methodology 1200for IMS registration in a multi-domain wireless communication device,according to an aspect. At Event 1202, the packet-switch domain, such asa WLAN domain or the like, is activated on a wireless communicationdevice. At Event 1204, a determination is made that IMS services aresupported over the packet-switch domain.

At Decision 1206, a determination is made as to whether the IP addressassigned to the IMS application has changed. At Event 1208, if the IPaddress has determined to change then an IMS registration request issent to a packet-switch domain entity. In one aspect, the IMSregistration request may be a service-based IMS registration requeststhat provides for services to be registered independent of otherservices provided on the packet-switch domain.

At optional Event 1210, the IMS registration is determined to be currentbased on the IP address determined to not have changed. At optionalEvent 1212, an IMS re-registration request is communicated to a networkentity, based the registration is determined to be current.Re-registration allows the wireless device to quickly refresh thepreviously established IMS registration while avoiding the fullregistration process.

Sequential Paging Over a Non-Preferred Domain

In those aspects in which the wireless device in IMS registered on thepacket-switch domain and simultaneously registered on the circuit switchdomain but are unable to notify the circuit switch of such via amessaging procedure (such as described above) and, thus, the circuitswitch domain is unaware of the dual registration state, a method ormechanism is needed to insure that pages over the non-preferred domainare received properly by the wireless device. Such is the case when thecircuit-switch domain is the 3GPP circuit switch domain thatcharacteristically does not support IMS. In accordance with a presentaspect, the wireless device will sequentially be paged first over thepreferred network and, if the page is not received, then, over thenon-preferred network.

For example, if a wireless communication device is configured formultiple domain communications and the device is currently registered toreceive a service, for example, voice service over either a first domainor a second domain and, thus is listening for pages over both the firstand second domain. In addition, the wireless device is configured suchthat the first domain is the preferred domain. In one aspect, the firstdomain may be a WLAN domain and the second domain may be a cellulardomain. In accordance with an aspect, a domain entity may be configuredto page first on the domain which the network believes the device to becurrently active on and, if the page is not received by the wirelessdevice then, page the wireless device on the second domain.

If the page is received over the non-preferred domain, the wirelessdevice may be configured to transfer the call in-traffic to thepreferred domain if the preferred domain is still within coverage range.However, if the wireless device is not configured to allow for calltransferring the call may be retained in the non-preferred domain. Insuch instances, once the call is terminated, the wireless device mayrefresh its registration with the preferred domain so that the networksubsequently uses the preferred domain to page the wireless device.

Referring to FIG. 19, in one aspect, wireless communication device 100,400, 700 and 1000, may comprise a mobile communication device, such asmobile telephone or the like, operable on a wireless communicationsystem. As can be appreciated, there are a variety of wirelesscommunication systems which often employ different spectrum bandwidthsand/or different air interface technologies. Exemplary systems includeCDMA (CDMA 2000, EV DO, WCDMA), OFDM, or OFDMA (Flash-OFDM, 802.20,WiMAX), FDMA/TDMA (GSM) systems using FDD or TDD licensed spectrums,peer-to-peer (e.g., mobile-to-mobile) ad hoc network systems often usingunpaired unlicensed spectrums, and 802.xx wireless LAN or BLUETOOTHtechniques.

As previously noted, wireless device 100, 400, 700 and 1000 includesprocessor component 104, 404, 704 and 1004 for carrying out processingfunctions associated with one or more of components and functionsdescribed herein. Processor component 104, 404, 704 and 1004 can includea single or multiple sets of processors or multi-core processors.Moreover, processing component 104, 404, 704 and 1004 can be implementedas an integrated processing system and/or a distributed processingsystem. Additionally, processing component 104, 404, 704 and 1004 mayinclude one or more processing subsystems, such as processing subsystemscapable of determining link quality or setting up link bindingsaccording to present aspects, or any other processing subsystem neededto carry out present aspects.

Wireless communication device 100, 400, 700 and 1000 further includes amemory 106, 406, 706 and 1006, such as for storing local versions ofapplications/modules being executed by processor component 104, 404, 704and 1004. Memory 106, 406, 706 and 1006 can include random access memory(RAM), read only memory (ROM), and a combination thereof. Additionally,in some aspects (not shown in FIG. 19), memory 106, 406, 706 and 1006may include target domain modules, serving domain modules and the like.

Further, access terminal 100, 400, 700 and 1000 includes acommunications module 1300 that provides for establishing andmaintaining communications with one or more parties utilizing hardware,software, and services as described herein. Communications module 1300may carry communications between components on wireless device 100, 400,700 and 1000, as well as between wireless device 100, 400, 700 and 1000and external network devices, such as target/serving network entitieslocated across a communications network and/or devices serially orlocally connected to wireless device 100, 400, 700 and 1000.

Additionally, wireless device 100, 400, 700 and 1000 may further includea data store 1302, which can be any suitable combination of hardwareand/or software that provides for mass storage of information,databases, and programs employed in connection with aspects describedherein. Optionally, in some aspects, data store 1302 may serve to storethe add/drop threshold for domains and/or domain services (not shown inFIG. 19).

Wireless Device 100, 400, 700 and 1000 may additionally include a userinterface component 1304 operable to receive inputs from a user ofwireless device 100, 400, 700 and 1000, and to generate outputs forpresentation to the user. User interface component 1304 may include oneor more input devices, including but not limited to a keyboard, a numberpad, a mouse, a touch-sensitive display, a navigation key, a functionkey, a microphone, a voice recognition component, any other mechanismcapable of receiving an input from a user, or any combination thereof.Further, user interface component 1304 may include one or more outputdevices, including but not limited to a display, a speaker, a hapticfeedback mechanism, a printer, any other mechanism capable of presentingan output to a user, or any combination thereof.

FIG. 20 illustrates a transmitter and receiver in a multiple accesswireless communication system 1400 according to various aspectspresented herein. Wireless communication system 1400 depicts one basestation and one user device for sake of brevity. However, it is to beappreciated that the system can include more than one base stationand/or more than one user device, wherein additional base stationsand/or user devices can be substantially similar or different from theexemplary base station and user device described below. In addition, itis to be appreciated that the base station and/or the user device canemploy the systems and/or methods described herein to facilitatewireless communication there between.

At transmitter system 1410, traffic data for a number of data streams isprovided from a data source 1412, which includes the codebook of presentaspects, to a transmit (TX) data processor 1414. In some aspects, eachdata stream is transmitted over a respective transmit antenna. TX dataprocessor 1414 formats, codes, and interleaves the traffic data for eachdata stream based on a particular coding scheme selected for that datastream to provide coded data. In some aspects, TX data processor 1414applies beam-forming weights to the symbols of the data streams basedupon the user to which the symbols are being transmitted and the antennafrom which the symbol is being transmitted. In some aspects, thebeam-forming weights may be generated based upon channel responseinformation that is indicative of the condition of the transmissionpaths between the access network and the access terminal. The channelresponse information may be generated utilizing CQI (Channel QualityIndicator) information or channel estimates provided by the user.Further, in those cases of scheduled transmissions, the TX dataprocessor 1414 can select the packet format based upon rank informationthat is transmitted from the user.

The coded data for each data stream may be multiplexed with pilot datausing OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) techniques. Thepilot data is typically a known data pattern that is processed in aknown manner and may be used at the receiver system to estimate thechannel response. The multiplexed pilot and coded data for each datastream is then modulated (e.g., symbol mapped) based on a particularmodulation scheme (e.g., BPSK, QSPK, M-PSK, or M-QAM) selected for thatdata stream to provide modulation symbols. The data rate, coding, andmodulation for each data stream may be determined by instructionsperformed or provided by processor 1430. In some aspects, the number ofparallel spatial streams may be varied according to the rank informationthat is transmitted from the user.

The modulation symbols for the data streams are provided to a TX MIMOprocessor 1420, which may further process the modulation symbols (e.g.,for OFDM). TX MIMO processor 1420 provides NT symbol streams to NTtransmitters (TMTR) 1422 a through 1422 t. In some aspects, TX MIMOprocessor 1420 applies beam-forming weights to the symbols of the datastreams based upon the user to which the symbols are being transmittedand the antenna from which the symbol is being transmitted from thatusers channel response information.

Each transmitter 1422 receives and processes a respective symbol streamto provide one or more analog signals, and further conditions (e.g.amplifies, filters, and upconverts) the analog signals to provide amodulated signal suitable for transmission over the MIMO channel. NTmodulated signals from transmitters 1422 a through 1422 t aretransmitted from NT antennas 1424 a through 1424 t, respectively.

At receiver system 1450, the transmitted modulated signals are receivedby NR antennas 1452 a through 1452 t and the received signal from eachantenna 1452 is provided to a respective receiver (RCVR) 1454. Eachreceiver 1454 conditions (e.g., filters, amplifies, and downconverts) arespective received signal, digitizes the conditioned signal to providesamples, and further processes the samples to provide a corresponding“received” symbol stream.

An RX data processor 1460 then receives and processes the NR receivedsymbol streams from NR receivers 1454 based on a particular receiverprocessing technique to provide the rank number of “detected” symbolstreams. The processing by RX data processor 1460 is described infurther detail below. Each detected symbol stream includes symbols thatare estimates of the modulation symbols transmitted for thecorresponding data stream. RX data processor 1460 then demodulates,deinterleaves, and decodes each detected symbol stream to recover thetraffic data for the data stream. The processing by RX data processor1460 is complementary to that performed by TX MIMO processor 1320 and TXdata processor 1414 at transmitter system 1410.

The channel response estimate generated by RX processor 1460 may be usedto perform space, space/time processing at the receiver, adjust powerlevels, change modulation rates or schemes, or other actions. RXprocessor 1460 may further estimate the signal-to-noise-and-interferenceratios (SNRs) of the detected symbol streams, and possibly other channelcharacteristics, and provides these quantities to a processor 1470. RXdata processor 1460 or processor 1470 may further derive an estimate ofthe “effective” SNR for the system. Processor 1370 then providesestimated channel information (CSI), which may comprise various types ofinformation regarding the communication link and/or the received datastream. For example, the CSI may comprise only the operating SNR. TheCSI is then processed by a TX data processor 1418, which also receivestraffic data for a number of data streams from a data source 1416,modulated by a modulator 1480, conditioned by transmitters 1454 athrough 1454 t, and transmitted back to transmitter system 1410.

At transmitter system 1410, the modulated signals from receiver system1450 are received by antennas 1424, conditioned by receivers 1422,demodulated by a demodulator 1440, and processed by a RX data processor1442 to recover the CSI reported by the receiver system. The reportedCSI is then provided to processor 1430 and used to (1) determine thedata rates and coding and modulation schemes to be used for the datastreams and (2) generate various controls for TX data processor 1414 andTX MIMO processor 1420.

At the receiver, various processing techniques may be used to processthe NR received signals to detect the NT transmitted symbol streams.These receiver processing techniques may be grouped into two primarycategories (i) spatial and space-time receiver processing techniques(which are also referred to as equalization techniques); and (ii)“successive nulling/equalization and interference cancellation” receiverprocessing technique (which is also referred to as “successiveinterference cancellation” or “successive cancellation” receiverprocessing technique).

A MIMO channel formed by the NT transmit and NR receive antennas may bedecomposed into N_(S) independent channels, with N_(S)≦min {N_(T),N_(R)}Each of the N_(S) independent channels may also be referred to as aspatial subchannel (or a transmission channel) of the MIMO channel andcorresponds to a dimension.

The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, and circuitsdescribed in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may beimplemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digitalsignal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmablelogic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor,but, in the alternative, the processor may be any conventionalprocessor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processormay also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., acombination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSPcore, or any other such configuration. Additionally, at least oneprocessor may comprise one or more modules operable to perform one ormore of the steps and/or actions described above.

Thus, aspects are provided for improving the mobility of wirelesscommunication devices between one network domain and another networkdomain, specifically, but not limited to, between a Wireless Local AreaNetwork (WLAN), such as a WiFi network, a Bluetooth® network or thelike, and a cellular network (i.e., circuit-switch and packet-switcheddomains), such as 1X, LTE, 2G, 3G cellular networks and the like.Present aspects provide for services to be moved seamlessly and in areliable manner between the cellular and WLAN domains in order tominimize service disruption for the end user and provide the requisiteQuality of Service (QoS) for the different applications. The aspectsherein presented provide for various mechanisms that serve to improvethe decision points related to when and what technology each service isexpected to be associated with and provides better techniques to movethe wireless communication device between cellular and WLAN domains whenin-traffic and when idle.

Further, the steps and/or actions of a method or algorithm described inconnection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly inhardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in acombination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory,flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a harddisk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage mediumknown in the art. An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to theprocessor, such that the processor can read information from, and writeinformation to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storagemedium may be integral to the processor. Further, in some aspects, theprocessor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally,the ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, theprocessor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in auser terminal. Additionally, in some aspects, the steps and/or actionsof a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set ofcodes and/or instructions on a machine readable medium and/or computerreadable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer programproduct.

In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented inhardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implementedin software, the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or moreinstructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readablemedia includes both computer storage media and communication mediaincluding any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer programfrom one place to another. A storage medium may be any available mediathat can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carryor store desired program code in the form of instructions or datastructures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connectionmay be termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software istransmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using acoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line(DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave,then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, orwireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave areincluded in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein,includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatiledisc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproducedata magnetically, while discs usually reproduce data optically withlasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within thescope of computer-readable media.

While the foregoing disclosure discusses illustrative aspects and/orembodiments, it should be noted that various changes and modificationscould be made herein without departing from the scope of the describedaspects and/or embodiments as defined by the appended claims.Furthermore, although elements of the described aspects and/orembodiments may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural iscontemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.Additionally, all or a portion of any aspect and/or embodiment may beutilized with all or a portion of any other aspect and/or embodiment,unless stated otherwise.

1. A method for providing domain handoff in a communication network, themethod comprising: determining that a target domain state currentlyresides above a target domain drop threshold and below a target domainadd threshold; determining that a serving domain state is currentlyapproaching a serving domain drop threshold; and providing for a handoffto the target domain based on the target domain state currently residingabove the target domain drop threshold and below the target domain addthreshold and the serving domain state currently approaching the servingdomain drop threshold.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determiningthat a serving domain state is currently approaching a serving domaindrop threshold further comprises monitoring one or more serving domainparameters.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that a servingdomain state is currently approaching a serving domain drop thresholdfurther comprises monitoring one or more serving domain Media AccessControl (MAC) layer and application layer parameters.
 4. The method ofclaim 2, wherein monitoring one or more serving domain parametersfurther comprises monitoring at least one of Received Signal StrengthIndication (RSSI), uplink data packet error rate, downlink data packeterror rate or uplink transmission retries.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein providing for the handoff further comprises providing for thehandoff if the serving network is currently providing a continuous useservice.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the target domain is furtherdefined as a cellular network domain and the serving domain is furtherdefined as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).
 7. The method of claim1 wherein the target domain is further defined as a Wireless Local AreaNetwork (WLAN) network domain and the serving domain is further definedas a cellular network domain.
 8. At least one processor configured toprovide domain handoff in a communication network, comprising: a firstmodule for determining that a target domain state currently residesabove a target domain drop threshold and below a target domain addthreshold; a second module for determining that a serving domain stateis currently approaching a serving domain drop threshold; and a thirdmodule for providing for a handoff to the target domain based on thetarget domain state currently residing above the target domain dropthreshold and below the target domain add threshold and the servingdomain state currently approaching the serving domain drop threshold. 9.A computer program product, comprising: a computer-readable mediumcomprising: a first set of codes for causing a computer to determinethat a target domain state currently resides above a target domain dropthreshold and below a target domain add threshold; a second set of codesfor causing the computer to determine that a serving domain state iscurrently approaching a serving domain drop threshold; and a third setof codes for causing the computer to provide for a handoff to the targetdomain based on the target domain state currently residing above thetarget domain drop threshold and below the target domain add thresholdand the serving domain state currently approaching the serving domaindrop threshold.
 10. An apparatus, comprising: means for determining thata target domain state currently resides above a target domain dropthreshold and below a target domain add threshold; means for determiningthat a serving domain state is currently approaching a serving domaindrop threshold; and means for providing for a handoff to the targetdomain based on the target domain state currently residing above thetarget domain drop threshold and below the target domain add thresholdand the serving domain state currently approaching the serving domaindrop threshold.
 11. A communication device, comprising: a computerplatform including a processor and a memory in communication with theprocessor; a target domain monitoring module stored in the memory and incommunication with the processor, wherein the target domain monitoringmodule is operable to determine that a target domain state currentlyresides above a target domain drop threshold and below a target domainadd threshold; a serving domain monitoring module stored in the memoryand in communication with the processor, wherein the serving domainmonitoring module is operable to determine that a serving domain stateis currently approaching a serving domain drop threshold; and a targetdomain module stored in the memory and in communication with theprocessor, wherein the target domain module is operable to be activatedbased on the target domain state currently residing above the targetdomain drop threshold and below the target domain add threshold, and theserving domain state currently approaching the serving domain dropthreshold.
 12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the servingdomain monitoring module is further operable to monitor one or moreserving domain parameters.
 13. The communication device of claim 12,wherein the serving domain monitoring module is further operable tomonitor one or more serving domain Media Access Control (MAC) layerapplication layer parameters.
 14. The communication device of claim 12,wherein the serving domain monitoring module is further operable tomonitor at least one of Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI),uplink data packet error rate, downlink data packet error rate or uplinktransmission retries.
 15. The communication device of claim 11, whereintarget domain module is further operable to be activated if the servingnetwork is currently providing a continuous use service.
 16. Thecommunication device of claim 11, wherein the target domain monitoringmodule is further defined as a cellular network monitoring module, theserving domain monitoring module is further defined as a Wireless LocalArea Network (WLAN) monitoring module and the target domain module isfurther defined as a cellular network module
 17. The communicationdevice of claim 11, wherein the target domain monitoring module isfurther defined as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) monitoringmodule a cellular network monitoring module, the serving domainmonitoring module is further defined as a cellular network monitoringmodule and the target domain module is further defined as a WLAN module.18. A method for activating a target domain and services in the targetdomain; comprising: activating a target domain; determining that one ormore target domain services add thresholds have been met afteractivation of the target domain, wherein each target domain service addthreshold is associated with a service provided on the target domain;and authorizing activation of one or more target domain services on thetarget domain based on the one or more target domain service addthresholds associated with the one or more target domain services havingbeen met.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein activation of the targetdomain is independent of authorizing activation of the one or moretarget domain services on the target domain.
 20. The method of claim 18,wherein determining that one or more target domain services addthresholds have been met further comprises dynamically changing one ormore of the target domain services add thresholds based on currentnetwork conditions.
 21. The method of claim 18, wherein activating thetarget domain further comprises determining that a target domain addthreshold has been met and activating the target domain based on thetarget domain add threshold being met.
 22. The method of claim 21,wherein determining that a target domain add threshold has been metfurther defines the target domain add threshold as corresponding to alowest add threshold for a service available on the target domain. 23.The method of claim 18, further comprising monitoring one or moreparameters associated with one or more target network services todetermine if the one or more target network service add thresholds havebeen met.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein monitoring parametersassociated with one or more network services further comprisesmonitoring at least one of Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI),uplink data packet error rate, downlink data packet error rate or uplinktransmission retries for a channel operative to provide an associatedtarget network service.
 25. The method of claim 18, wherein activatingthe target domain further comprises maintaining activation of a servingdomain while the target domain is active.
 26. The method of claim 25,further comprising determining that one or more serving domain serviceadd thresholds have been met, wherein each serving network service addthreshold is associated with one or more services provided on theserving domain.
 27. The method of claim 26, further comprisingauthorizing activation of one or more network services on the servingdomain based on the one or more serving service add thresholds havingbeen met.
 28. The method of claim 18, wherein the target domain isfurther defined as at least one of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)domain or a cellular network domain.
 29. The method of claim 24, whereinthe target domain is further defined as a Wireless Local Area Network(WLAN) domain and the serving domain is further defined as a cellularnetwork domain.
 30. The method of claim 24, wherein the target domain isfurther defined as a cellular network domain and the serving domain isfurther defined as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) domain.
 31. Atleast one processor configured to activate a target domain and servicesin the target domain; comprising: a first module for activating a targetdomain; a second module for determining that one or more target domainservices add thresholds have been met after activation of the targetdomain, wherein each target domain service add threshold is associatedwith a service provided on the target domain; and a third module forauthorizing activation of one or more target domain services on thetarget domain based on the one or more target domain service addthresholds associated with the one or more target domain services havingbeen met.
 32. A computer program product, comprising: acomputer-readable medium comprising: a first set of codes for causing acomputer to activate a target domain; a second set of codes for causingthe computer to determine that one or more target domain services addthresholds have been met after activation of the target domain, whereineach target domain service add threshold is associated with a serviceprovided on the target domain; and a third set of codes for causing thecomputer to authorize activation of one or more target domain serviceson the target domain based on the one or more target domain service addthresholds associated with the one or more target domain services havingbeen met.
 33. An apparatus, comprising: means for activating a targetdomain; means for determining that one or more target domain servicesadd thresholds have been met after activation of the target domain,wherein each target domain service add threshold is associated with aservice provided on the target domain; and means for authorizingactivation of one or more target domain services on the target domainbased on the one or more target domain service add thresholds associatedwith the one or more target domain services having been met.
 34. Acommunication device, comprising: a computer platform including aprocessor and a memory in communication with the processor; a targetdomain module stored in the memory and in communication with theprocessor, wherein the target domain module is operable to activate acorresponding target domain; and one or more target domain servicemodules stored in the memory and in communication with the processor,wherein each target domain service module corresponds to a target domainservice and is operable to determine that a domain service add thresholdassociated with the corresponding target domain service has been met andauthorize activation of the target domain service on the target domainbased on the domain service add threshold being met.
 35. Thecommunication device of claim 34, wherein the target domain module isfurther operable to activate the target domain independent of the one ormore target domain service modules being operable to authorizeactivation of the corresponding target domain service on the targetdomain.
 36. The communication device of claim 34, wherein at least oneof the one or more target domain service modules is further operable todynamically change one or more of the target domain services addthresholds based on current network conditions.
 37. The communicationdevice of claim 34, wherein the target domain module is further operableto activate the target domain based on a target domain add thresholdbeing met.
 38. The communication device of claim 37, wherein the targetdomain module further defines the target domain add threshold ascorresponding to a lowest add threshold for a service available on thetarget domain.
 39. The communication device of claim 34, wherein the oneor more target domain service modules are further operable to monitorone or more parameters associated with the corresponding target domainservice to determine if the corresponding target network service addthreshold has been met.
 40. The communication device of claim 39,wherein the one or more target domain service modules are furtheroperable to monitor at least one of Received Signal Strength Indication(RSSI), uplink data packet error rate, downlink data packet error rateor uplink transmission retries for a channel operative to provide anassociated target network service.
 41. The communication device of claim34, wherein the target domain is further defined as at least one of aWireless Local Area Network (WLAN) domain or a cellular network domain.42. A method for domain activation during communication device power-up,comprising: powering-up a communication device that is communicable withat least a first and second domain; attempting to acquire the firstdomain upon powering-up the communication device; attempting to acquirethe second domain simultaneous with the attempt to acquire the firstdomain; and attempting to register on whichever of the first and seconddomains is acquired first-in-time.
 43. The method of claim 42 whereinattempting to acquire the first domain further defines the first domainas a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) domain.
 44. The method of claim43, wherein attempting to acquire the first domain further comprisesperforming one or more consistency checks to insure consistency of theWLAN domain.
 45. The method of claim 42, wherein attempting to acquirethe second domain further defines the second domain as a cellularnetwork.
 46. The method of claim 45, wherein attempting to acquire thesecond domain further comprises measuring a pilot Ec/Io signal anddetermining that a pilot Ec/Io signal add threshold has been met. 47.The method of claim 43, further comprising providing network services inthe domain that is attempted to be registered if the registration issuccessful.
 48. The method of claim 43, further comprising initiatinghandoff between the first and second domains after the successfulregistration of whichever of the first and second domains is acquiredfirst based on whichever of the first and second domains that isacquired first being the non-preferred domain.
 49. At least oneprocessor configured to provide domain activation during communicationdevice power-up, comprising: a first module for powering-up acommunication device that is communicable with a first and seconddomain; a second module for attempting to acquire the first domain uponpowering-up the communication device; a third module for attempting toacquire the second domain simultaneous with the attempt to acquire thefirst domain; and a fourth module for attempting to register onwhichever of the first and second domains is acquired first-in-time. 50.A computer program product, comprising: a computer-readable mediumcomprising: a first set of codes for causing a computer to power-up acommunication device communicable with a first and second domain; asecond set of codes for causing the computer to attempt to acquire thefirst domain upon powering-up the communication device; a third set ofcodes for causing the computer to attempt to acquire the second domainsimultaneous with the attempt to acquire the first domain; and a fourthset of codes for causing the computer to attempt to register onwhichever of the first and second domains is acquired first-in-time. 51.An apparatus, comprising: means for powering-up a communication devicecommunicable with a first and second domain; means for attempting toacquire the first domain upon powering-up the communication device;means for attempting to acquire the second domain simultaneous with theattempt to acquire the first domain; and means for attempting toregister on whichever of the first and second domains is acquiredfirst-in-time.
 52. A communication device, comprising: a computerplatform including a processor and a memory in communication with theprocessor; a power-up mechanism in communication with the processor andoperable to receive an input to power-up the communication device; afirst domain module stored in the memory and in communication with theprocessor, wherein the first domain module is operable to attempt toacquire the first domain upon powering-up the communication device; anda second domain module stored in the memory and in communication withthe processor, wherein the second domain module is operable to attemptto acquire the second domain simultaneous with the attempt to acquirethe first domain, wherein the first and second domain modules arefurther operable to attempt to register on the corresponding domain ifthe domain is acquired first-in-time.
 53. The communication device ofclaim 52, wherein the first domain module is further defined as aWireless Local Area Network (WLAN) domain module.
 54. The communicationdevice of claim 53, wherein the WLAN domain module is further operableto perform one or more consistency checks to insure consistency of theWLAN domain as part of the attempt to acquire the WLAN network.
 55. Thecommunication device of claim 52, wherein the second domain is furtherdefined as a cellular network domain module.
 56. The communicationdevice of claim 55, wherein the cellular domain module is furtheroperable to measure a pilot signal and determining that a pilot signaladd threshold has been met.
 57. The communication device of claim 52,wherein the first and second domain modules are further operable toprovide network services in the corresponding domain that is attemptedto be registered if the registration is successful.
 58. Thecommunication device of claim 52, further comprising a domain handoffmodule stored in the memory and in communication with the processor,wherein the domain handoff module is operable to initiate a handoffbetween the first and second domains after the successful registrationof whichever of the first and second domains is acquired first based onwhichever of the first and second domains that is acquired first beingthe non-preferred domain.